


amethyst glass

by llyfrgell (coloredlights)



Category: Kiki Strike - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 22:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coloredlights/pseuds/llyfrgell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The City Hall station is real, and 6 trains really do turn around there.  Normally, to disembark there, the conductor has to open one specific door.  The station opened in 1904 and closed in 1945, leaving what is arguably the most beautiful NYC subway station to ghosts, rats, and enterprising teenagers.  All details here are sourced from photos, personal visits, and news articles.</p></blockquote>





	amethyst glass

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kattahj](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kattahj/gifts).



Luz Lopez does not like being bored.

It’s been nearly a year since Kiki Strike disappeared from the lives of the Irregulars and claimed her rightful place on the throne of Pokrovia, and while the peace and quiet was nice for a little while, things are getting dull. The only news they get is whatever the newspapers and CNN tickers deem of interest to the general public – and since most Americans haven’t even heard of the tiny country, that’s hardly satisfactory. Luz realizes, now, that Kiki was never fantastic at keeping in touch when she had other things going on, but none of the Irregulars had really thought about that beforehand.

And so the media frenzy has died down, Kiki has gone off to Europe, Oona’s immersed in her new business ventures, Ananka is swamped by the pressures of her newfound academic prestige, Betty is off being romantic with Kaspar, and Luz is bored.

DeeDee is still around, of course, and Luz sees her pretty regularly, especially now that her mom has lightened up and sometimes lets her out of the house. But after the activities of the past school year, Luz’s threshold for non-boredom has risen dramatically (which is unfortunate, really, because it took a lot to keep her entertained even before joining a band of crime-fighting teenage geniuses).

The problem with boredom is it gives Luz time to think. And thinking leads to ideas, which in turn lead to plans. It’s not a good situation.

Luz isn’t a reader by habit, but she has taken to scanning the Times headlines (what, she gets them emailed to her) for mentions of Pokrovia (and she may or may not have a Google Alert on Kiki – or rather, on the Princess). One day, she sees an article about something else, something totally unrelated, and suddenly she has an idea.

**********  
“Are we switching here?”

“I told you, Ananka, stay put til I say otherwise,” Luz glanced up from her notebook (which was hollowed out and filled with assorted wires and suspiciously blinking lights, but no one else could see that part).

“But this is the end of the line! The 6 doesn’t run past Brooklyn Bridge.” Ananka looked like she was on the verge of whipping out a subway map as proof.

“Hello, I’ve lived here all my life, you think I don’t know the subway as well as you do?”

“Well…”

Luz declined to respond, mostly because Ananka had a point.

As the 6 train pulled out of the Brooklyn Bridge station to a chorus of squealing wheels and metal on metal, Luz looked around in satisfaction, noting that she and Ananka were the only ones in the car. Hopefully they were also the only ones on the train, or else some tourists were about to have an interesting afternoon.

The train rounded a bend and Luz pretended to be engrossed in her reading. In actuality, she was paying close attention to the position of the train, waiting to push the button located near her thumb.

The signals changed – normally visible only to the conductor, but Luz had practiced - and she hit the button.

The train ground to a halt, which wasn’t terribly startling since it had been crawling along at a pace rarely seen on the NYC subway to begin with. Ananka noticed, mostly because she was falling to her left, and caught Luz’s eye.

“Here we are.” One more press of a button and a door slid open. They were in the last car of the train, and the only door that opened was the closest to the end.

“Luz, seriously? A subway tunnel? This better be an important discovery. I didn’t even wear my waders.” Ananka was unimpressed so far, but Luz had expected no less.

She stood and beckoned to Ananka. The two girls crossed the subway car and headed for the open door, soon stepping out onto…a platform?

Luz quirked an eyebrow at Ananka, who acknowledged, “Fair enough, looks like the waders would’ve been overkill.”

They took a few more steps, fully reaching the middle of the platform. There were none of the white-on-black signs customary to the New York subway, indicating which direction to aim for exits or transfers. Around them, the tiled walls reached for the sky, finally meeting in arches above the stalled train. Green and white tiles formed beautiful mosaics, and the name of the station was etched in those same tiles at regular intervals on the wall. _City Hall_ , it read.

Ananka gasped. “This is the old loop station! Luz, how did you find this?”

“Believe it or not, I can actually read. There was an article in the Times, about how they don’t kick people off the 6 anymore before it turns around.” Luz shuffled her feet, unwilling to reach her next thought: _And it reminded me of you._

“And you brought me here. After what must have been a lot of preparation – do I even want to know how you hijacked the train?”

“Hey, I’ll have you know that there was no hijacking involved. I… may have stopped the train conveniently at the platform, and unlocking the door forced me to actually talk to Oona, but 6 trains really do turn here, and I’m sure the conductor will get it moving again soon…”

Ananka just looked at Luz, finally saying, “You really went to a lot of trouble to show me this.”

Luz shrugged, “Whatever, I’m tired of only seeing you when Kiki decides to get her skinny ass in trouble. C’mon,” she grabbed Ananka’s hand, pulling her towards a set of stairs.

“Wait, Luz, the train…” Ananka trailed off as she caught sight of the mezzanine level. The same green and white tiles arched towards the ceiling again, but this time the four sides met in the middle, outlining amethyst glass panels that allowed the two girls to see each other in the abandoned space. Ananka stood under the middle point and spun in a circle, a smile creasing her face.

Luz watched from the side. She knew the station was beautiful, but she’d been here before, and there was something newer and more interesting demanding her attention.

Suddenly, a metallic screech disrupted Ananka’s revelry. “Oh SHIT,” she yelled, stumbling out of her spin.

Luz’s eyes widened. “Um, I didn’t expect the conductor to figure it out that quickly.”

Ananka looked at her evenly. “Do you have your notebook?” Luz nodded.

“Then stop the next one. And come here.”

Luz moved forward, taking Ananka’s outstretched hands, and the two girls twirled slowly under the soft light, filtered through 150-year-old glass. Luz tilted her head back, feeling the weight of centuries on her face, and smiling nonetheless.

**Author's Note:**

> The City Hall station is real, and 6 trains really do turn around there. Normally, to disembark there, the conductor has to open one specific door. The station opened in 1904 and closed in 1945, leaving what is arguably the most beautiful NYC subway station to ghosts, rats, and enterprising teenagers. All details here are sourced from photos, personal visits, and news articles.


End file.
